


Time's Been Ticking

by Adeline_Hatter



Series: Qrowin Week 2019 [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, First Meeting, Qrowin Week 2019, Snippets, over time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21732502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeline_Hatter/pseuds/Adeline_Hatter
Summary: Winter always found herself crossing paths with Qrow Branwen, whether he knew it or not.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Winter Schnee
Series: Qrowin Week 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566337
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Time's Been Ticking

Winter Schnee had been Nineteen when she first lay eyes on Qrow Branwen. 

They didn’t meet officially for another two years, but the man who stormed into the courtyard of Atlas Academy had left an impression. 

She remembers the sharp yell of Ironwood’s name, anger coursing through it as she watched him stalk from the window of her dorm room. 

But most of all, she remembers the look on Qrow’s face, though hadn’t known his name yet. 

Though, that was of no consequence.

* * *

  
  


Winter was Twenty-one on the day she met Qrow Branwen. 

It was at a gala that her Mother had asked her to attend in her and her Father’s place, Ironwood expressing that she should as well, thankfully her childhood in this world hadn’t been of no lost consequence as it was easy to smile and make small talk. 

Whilst wishing she was anywhere but here. 

She danced with one man, who’s name she couldn’t for the life of her remember who prattled on and on about absolutely nothing as his hands started to go lower on the dark blue velvet she wore, even when she forcibly moved them back to their position. 

It happened when he threw her out into a spin, obviously fully expecting to pull her back in...

When someone grabbed her free hand, and she was pulled into another waltz, a hand, large, warm and respectfully in the middle of her back as she looked up from a collar to see an angular jaw, ridiculous hair pushed back out of his face, black and eyes that looked so deeply crimson she almost thought he was made of wine.

She didn’t need any instruction and nor it seemed did he as they seemed to start flawlessly dancing in harmony, leaving her previous dance partner behind, Winter looked at the man whose arms had now encased her nicely and attempted to remember why he looked familiar. 

“Eyes forward, people are staring.” He murmured and flawlessly twisted away from a number of people holding cameras, “Can’t exactly have a Schnee seen with me, now can we?”

Winter had blinked, once twice, then paused in the middle of the floor, making him stop with her, “Why wouldn’t you want to be seen with me?”

He’d shrugged at the time, then let her go to step back into the crowd, “I have the worst luck.” Was his parting words. 

Well, she didn’t as she was told his name moments later by Ironwood who came to find her quickly afterwards, reporting that she should “Stay away from Qrow Branwen.” 

_ Qrow Branwen.  _

Somehow, the name went with the deep crimson eyes that had sparked with humour. 

Qrow may have had the worst luck. 

But, Winter knew she never would. 

* * *

  
  


She’s twenty-two when she decides she hates him. 

What’s strange is that it happens because of alcohol. 

Mostly, her consumption of it and the accidental bumping into him, six months after dancing with him for a few moments, six months and she can feel where his hand had sat on her back still, not because it was uncomfortable to remember, but because there hadn’t been any intent other than help when he had held her. 

“What brings you to Atlas?” Is how she greets him, sliding into the seat next to him and surprising Qrow in a matter of a singular question, he regards her as if he can’t quite remember who she is, “Winter Schnee.” She offers. 

He waves down the bartender as he replies, “I know, was trying to work out what a girl like you is doing in a place like this…” 

“I like a drink after work sometimes.” 

“Ah… When Jimmy’s being a dick?”

She blinks, then it clicks, “Not… Always.” 

Qrow’s eyebrows raise, “I’m guessing he told you to stay away from me?”

She orders a scotch and soda, then points to his glass and orders another one for him, “He did.” 

“You should listen to him.” He laughs humorlessly as she looks him in the eyes, they’re still the same crimson she remembers, though his jaw is scruffier than the last time she saw him, hair still ridiculous, “Really, you should.” Qrow slides his now empty glass away from him, she looked him up and down. 

Scruffy described him perfectly, “I’m not on the clock, I don’t have to follow orders.” Winter replied as she took him in, pondering something completely unfathomable. 

“....I guess that’s what they call a loophole huh?”

“Well, in a way.” 

* * *

  
  


Unsurprisingly, she will remember later on in life, Qrow holds his alcohol better than her, as by the third scotch and soda her speech is slurred, but he’s still fine as he stands and pays for both their drinks. 

“You don’t have to-” She had tried to insist and then almost fallen off her bar stool, finding an arm catching her. 

Qrow tilts his head at her, “It’s only money Schnee, don’t worry about it.” There’s something comforting in his gaze, comforting but confusing, “Where do you live?”

It’s a strange question, but she laughs and smiles as she stands up straight again, “Why do you want to know?”

“Because you need to go to sleep, so do I.” 

“We could do something else-” He holds up a hand, stopping her mid-sentence, later when she has slept this off and is back into sobriety she’ll remember this and appreciate it for what it was, but right now she hates that he’s silenced her, “Don’t ask me to be quiet, Branwen.” 

“You were about to suggest something that, in a matter of speaking, would be very stupid.” He starts towards the door and she follows him, quietly, not quite done with their conversation, “As well as a very bad idea, as neither of us are sober.” 

He has a point, somewhere in her mind echoes, but she still frowns at him. 

“So?”

He turns around as they walk down the street, then he looked her up and down, it sends a warm tingle down her spine quietly. 

“So, we should remember it don’t you think?” His smile is almost as intoxicating as the scotch had been, she can feel the heat rise to her cheeks, “Address?” 

Winter tells him, knowing, for some reason she can trust him. 

She wakes up the next morning to a glass of water and some pain killers on her nightstand. 

She wakes up the next morning, to him knocked out on her sofa and she frowned, she could remember that, because his real goal had been a place to crash for the night. 

Though, he hadn’t taken advantage so he earned a blanket.

* * *

  
  


Weeks had passed unbelievably slowly following that day, conversations dwindled in her eyes, none were quite as interesting. 

The promotion to Specialist made her head spin when she was told she got it, the ceremony passed without incident, though there were faces missing in the crowd as she moved through it. 

Then, a month passed from there. 

Then two and she realised she hadn’t seen Qrow in awhile, though the memory of him didn’t insight hatred at first thought, she found a bit of discontempt, then a little bit of warmth at the reminder that he could have but didn’t. 

But she and he talk again. 

And this time, she does actually hate him. 

* * *

  
  


Well, she doesn’t  _ see  _ him as it were, her next interaction with Qrow comes in the form of her scroll ringing at three am, nevermind why she was up… But she was up. 

“ _ You should get out.”  _

A single sentence, “What?” She’d echoed into the slight chill that had entered her room. 

“ _ Ice Queen, there’s no place for you at Ironwood’s side.”  _

Anger fills her, hot, barely contained, “Says who? You? I don’t remember asking for your opinion-” 

“ _ Trust me- Or don’t, but there are things happening and people who don’t matter will get axed faster than the people who do.”  _

She’d blinked then, anger still present but no longer clouding her mind to think over his words. 

“I don’t… matter?”

“ _ And that means your dead.”  _

“Shut the fuck up Qrow, you don’t know what your talking about.” Winter hisses into her scroll, “You just  _ don’t.”  _

There was a bitter laugh at the other end, before a mutter than she can’t make out and than- 

_ “Winter, Ice Queen, there’s no place for you by Ironwood’s side.”  _

And then he hung up. 

_ Hung up.  _

And Winter, was left with a billion questions. 

But, she was never one to do what she was told to unless it was by a superior. 

This, was how she came to hate Qrow Branwen, at twenty-three. 

Because he had  _ assumed  _ that telling her that she didn’t matter would drive her away from the problem. 

However, he was right about one thing. 

He did have terrible luck, not to mention a way of underestimating those around him.

  
_ It only occurred to her later that he had sounded scared of something, whilst drunk… But then again, he was always drunk.  _


End file.
